Nowadays it's become utterly vital to keep steady hygiene. Not only because of the potential viruses and pests, but the sheer fact of keeping things neat and clean can revitalize and upgrade our lifestyle. In order to maintain a healthy life balance, it is of utmost importance to keep the home healthy and germ-free. Keeping your home healthy doesn’t only keep any unwanted illnesses or infections far away, but it ensures implementing and acquiring healthy habits. Incorporating good hygiene practices around your home enables you to stay worried and stress-free. Therefore, here are some essential tips on how to keep your home healthy and maintain a mindful and safe home environment. 1. Don’t neglect the dust It’s everywhere and it’s annoying. The second we open the door or window, it looks like that there’s a whole new layer of dust piling up. To keep this meticulously clean at all times, you should dust all areas at least once a day. It may sound tedious, but as dust can quickly build up around furniture, many allergens that cause fungal skin infections and respiratory issues come up as well. The moment you wipe out the dusty surface, the cleaner the home will look. 2. Maintain kitchen surfaces extra clean The kitchen is the place where we prepare and eat food, and it's only obvious that it should be extra clean. Do your best to always clean all the surfaces when preparing raw meat, eggs, or if you're about to knead. Many harmful bacteria tend to appear and stay unless you thoroughly wipe everything out. Use a lot of paper towels to wipe up any spills, and once you finish cooking, tackle everything with the appropriate product to clean off all the nasty germs. 3. Opt for a smart bathroom solution If you truly desire to keep your home healthy, then you might want to consider switching to hand dryers. Using hand dryers instead of ordinary towels or paper tissues will make your bathroom a cleaner and safer place to be in. Classical towels can gather bacteria unless you clean them instantly, and with hand dryers, you get a quiet, effective, and durable cleaning solution that will upscale your home's health. What's more, these high-quality machines are fantastically adjustable and come in various modern designs to fit any interior. 4. Stock up with anti-bacterial hand wash Ditch the old, silky hand soap, as the bacteria stay longer, plus they can smudge the entire bathroom surface and spread even more bacteria around. Get an anti-bacterial liquid hand wash that is both practical and contact-less. This will ensure that you keep your hands adequately clean, and your washbasin germ-free. You can find a nicely scented hand wash and put it into a dazzling bottle to revive the look of your bathroom as well. 5. Thoroughly wipe off high-touch areas Hands transmit the most bacteria, so to keep your home maximally healthy, you should clean, wipe and disinfect all the high-touch surfaces. These include doorknobs, door handles, handrails, tables, chairs, taps, light switches, keyboards, remote controls, and your children's toys. Establish a routine of cleaning all of those areas delicately at least once a week, but you can use a mild disinfect product to clean them on a daily basis for additional precaution. 6. Keep the shoes out of the house Shoes tend to carry and leave numerous nasty things and bacteria. No matter how much you clean them, if you just walk through the carpet with moody boots, you’ll surely leave some pathogens which cause diseases like bacterial meningitis, pneumonia, and even tuberculosis. Therefore, it would be advisable for you and your guests to take off your shoes every time you’re about to step into your home and leave them at the door. Make sure that you clean off any mud or debris outside. 7. Clean (after) your pets Pets, especially cats and dogs, tend to bring in various potential diseases, and unless you take good care of them, you may end up with some unwanted diseases yourself. Cats and dogs, for instance, can carry harmful bacteria like Salmonella, E Coli, or Campylobacter so you should clean their paws the second they step into your home. Also, wash and clean their fur properly at least once a week, and make sure that you wash your hands afterward, especially after petting them. When it comes to other pets like hamsters, rabbits, or turtles, do your best to regularly clean their cages or terrariums. 8. Focus on bathroom hotspots Toilet seats, toilet flush handles, handles, taps, showerheads, and light switches represent a red alert to germs, bacteria, and other infections. As your bathroom can transmit various bacteria like Salmonella, Norovirus, and even E coli, it should be your number one cleaning rule to meticulously scrub them. All of those common touchpoints can help to transmit various bacteria faster, so you could use a quality disinfect spray to clean the areas on the go. Do that whenever you're using the bathroom, and advise other family members to do the same. 9. Scrub your bins Very often we tend to forget to clean the bins. As your kitchen is generally a hot spot for tedious bacteria with food spoilage and spillage, your bin is another culprit for causing your home health to deteriorate. Every time you are about to throw something into your bin make sure that the bag is adequately closed, then wipe off clean any spills and debris that fell out of the bag. Try to et a bin with a closing lid and/or a bin liner that can be tied before throwing the trash into an outside bin. In the end, always wash your hands thoroughly after being in contact with your bin. 10. Change your bed sheets regularly There's nothing more soothing and relaxing than settling down into your warm and cozy day after a long and bustling day. But what many people fail to recognize is that various stains, dust, and even bugs on the mattress or bedding can cause certain allergies and diseases. To avoid that from happening, and to minimize the potential disease outburst, it's advised to wash and change your bedding every two weeks. Depending on the material and fabric, wash your sheets at a minimum of 40 degrees. Also, don't neglect to wash pillows, duvets, and mattresses every few months as well. 11. Keep your floors shiny There are not many potential health hazards when it comes to the floor, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take care of them. Avoid any risks of cat bacteria such as Staphylococcus, which can survive dry conditions, by vacuuming the floors twice a week. Mop the floors thoroughly once a week, if necessary, use a special sanitizing product, just see whether it's suitable for your floor. If you have pets or infants crawling around, you should mop the floors even on a daily basis. 12. Disinfect your cleaning amenities There's no need to purchase every time a new cleaning mop, cloth, or a sponge, on the contrary, if you strive to keep your home healthy and safe a few bucks while doing so, try microwave them. By microwaving your sponges and other cleaning utilities at high temperatures for about two minutes, you will disinfect them effectively. If you don't fancy this idea, you could soak them in a certain bleach solution for about five minutes to get the same results. 13. Go for fresher laundry If you desire to have nice and odor-free curtains, table cloths, and pillowcases, the secret is not to add a lot of softeners, but to wash them at 40 degrees Celsius. Your home will always smell fresh and clean if you follow the precise washing labels and if you air dries them slowly. Only avoid air-drying within the house, as they pill up dust particles and moisture which could be harmful to the health. 14. Don’t forget the windows Windows are the heart and soul of the house, so they should be kept clean at all times. Windows and door tracks tend to accumulate dirt, dust, and even dead bugs, so they could make you more susceptible to respiratory diseases and other illnesses unless you keep them clean. Wash them with mild sanitizing products, and always dry them thoroughly with a suitable dry cloth. 15. Carpet hygiene Your house will look more beautiful, cleaner, and fresher if you wash and clean the carpets and rugs every three months. Carpets, unlike floors, gather germs longer, and if you don't take care of them regularly they would be a perfect breeding ground for many diseases. If you don't have time and money to take them to professionals, you can take the carpet out on the terrace and garden and just powerfully shake it to remove all the dust and debris, mop it with soap and vacuum it before placing it back inside. Maintaining a house spotless and healthy is a never-ending task. Perform all the above-mentioned hacks and you will ensure your home stays perfectly clean and welcoming.